I am the “mom” in the group, as all the Ghanaians called me, children and adults alike. This trip started for us about 2 years ago with Lily’s vision for us to do something else with money at Christmas time other than buy presents. So we saved our money and had the most amazing adventure. My main goal was to experience the joy that the children in a small village without all the extras that the children in my country have. As we walk down the roads, in the morning as children were leaving their homes/huts to go off to school we were greeted with huge, genuine smiles from them. The last day we were there the school leaders assembled the kids to sing to us and say good bye … the joy that came from their song and dance brought me to tears.
The adults were warm and welcoming and humored greatly by our weak attempt to learn their language. My duty as a volunteer was to survey the village for health issues, I had an interpreter and we were able to visit 137 households in the 2 ½ week I was there. I felt very lucky to have this opportunity to see firsthand how daily life goes on inside these people’s homes/huts. Fishing, selling simple foods, washing, sweeping, napping, going to school, playing and visiting one another fill these people’s days. The village was amazingly clean and everyone seems to participate in keeping it this way.
The excursion to the slave castle was a sobering experience for me. I learned however that slavery was not a new concept to humanity in the 1800’s. The reason it became such a known injustice is that these people were removed from their homeland and transported across the Atlantic to a completely isolated and foreign culture. The conditions of this transfer process were so horrible it is hard for me to conceive.
I could go on and on but the few words to take away from this trip for me are Joy, Simplicity and Community … something us “civilized” folks would do well to have more of in our life.
Pamela Clay
Eugene, Oregon – USA
ADF – Atorkor, Ghana
June –July 2008